Dig Deeper - Sunday 30th November
Sermon Reflection Questions - Journey to Joy - Hope: The Start of the Journey
Isaiah 9:2, 6-7
Dig Deeper notes from Sunday 30th November service:
Summary
On Sunday, we started our Advent series “Journey to Joy” and looked at how Jesus' coming to the earth was the start of the Hope that Jesus gave to us.
Have you ever been promised something and it was not fulfilled? How did you feel? Did you feel sad, lonely, unwanted, used, or forgotten? Everything you feel from a broken promise is the opposite to how the bible describes God’s love to us. We read in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”
If I described someone like that, what would your first thoughts be? For me personally, I would know I can trust someone like that. Someone who is patient, so they will give me a chance, even when I get it wrong. Someone who is kind, so when I do mess up, they will greet me with gentleness and not hostility. Someone who doesn’t boast or is not proud. Like someone giving up their throne to come down as a baby. Someone who does not dishonour, so I don’t have to look at my sin and be ashamed. Someone who is not self-seeking, someone who would be willing to be nailed to a cross for me. Not easily angered, so that I can come to the feet of Jesus, not fearing him. Someone who protects me so I can face my battles with him. Someone I can trust because he fulfils all his promises. Someone whom I can put my hope in, so no matter what I face, I know I have hope. Someone who always perseveres, so that even when I walk away, he will never give up on me.
Love is the most powerful tool we have as Christians to share the hope we have in Jesus. We are given this love through Jesus, through His generosity and humility to come down as a baby, to minister to the poor and the lost. In doing this, He fulfilled the prophecies in the Old Testament, like Isaiah 7:14 - Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. This is just one of over 300 prophecies. On Sunday, we looked at how impossible it is for a non-divine being to fulfil just 8 of the prophecies in the Old Testament. According to the mathematician, Peter Stoner, it is 1 in 100 million billion. That's 1 with 17 zeros after it! So unlikely that it’s similar odds to asking someone to find the same grain of sand on a beach you found the day before.
Because God fulfilled His promises through Jesus’s birth, we use this time in Advent to celebrate the coming of our King, because we know that He came humbly as a baby so that we can have eternal life through Him. What a beautiful gift that is.
As we enter into Advent, let’s set some time aside to celebrate and give thanks to our Lord Jesus Christ, who chose to come down humbly as a baby so that even those who are not part of the 99 sheep can be saved.
Discussion & Application Questions
1. How can we put our hope in Jesus this Advent?
2. What areas of your life can you trust Jesus more?
Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ,
As we enter this season of Advent, we set aside time to remember Your humble coming. You chose to enter our world as a tiny child, gentle and lowly, so that every lost sheep might be found and welcomed home. Fill our hearts with gratitude for Your saving love, and help us to prepare a place for You within us. May this season draw us closer to Your light, Your mercy, and Your steadfast hope. Amen.
